This invention relates generally to holding devices and, more particularly, to adjustable holding devices.
Pocket hole wood joinery involves joining boards by inserting a fastener at an angle through the edge of one board into the other. Such joints are commonly used for face frames, cabinet boxes, leg-to-rail joinery in chairs and tables, and so forth. Drill guides or jigs are used to drill the holes through which the fasteners or pocket screws are inserted into the adjoining workpiece. Typical jigs or pocket hole devices provide for drilling of two fixed holes a predetermined distance apart. However, such an arrangement does not provide the flexibility needed to accommodate varying sizes of workpieces. As a result, pocket holes may be drilled too close to the edge of a workpiece or too far apart from each other.
One alternative is to move the workpiece after drilling the first hole, in order to more properly place the second hole. However, this is time-consuming and can produce less than accurate results. In some instances, only one hole is drilled. However, the resulting joint may not be as strong as needed. Handheld devices can also be used for custom-placement of holes, such as in remodeling or repair work, but are generally not an efficient means of pre-drilling a large quantity of holes.
Attempts to provide increased adjustability include jigs having guides that are movable along a rail. However, the ability to drill two holes in close proximity is limited with this type of device due to the width of the guides themselves. Furthermore, since the clamp is a self-contained fixed clamp, the practical usage of this type of device is limited, since a workpiece needs to be positioned relatively centrally against a clamp prior to drilling.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an improved adjustable holding device.
An adjustable holding device comprising a base and a guide removably secured to the base is disclosed. In one embodiment, more than two guide channels are angularly disposed within the guide to guide a drill bit, wherein the more than two guide channels provide multiple drilling combinations. In another embodiment, a step block is used to elevate the workpiece, thus allowing thinner workpieces to be accurately drilled. In yet another embodiment, a riser block is used to elevate and move the guide laterally backwards to allow thicker workpieces to be accurately drilled. In yet another embodiment, support wings can be used not only to support a large workpiece, but can also be used as a pre-drill guide for depth (i.e., stop) collar positioning along a drill bit.
The invention also includes a method for drilling pocket holes in a workpiece comprising providing an adjustable holding device having a base and a repositionable guide, wherein more than two guide channels are angularly disposed within the guide; placing the adjustable holding device on a planar surface; drilling a first hole in the workpiece with a stepped drill bit having a depth collar, the workpiece clamped to the adjustable holding device with a clamp, the clamp attached to the base; and drilling a second hole in the workpiece, wherein the first and second holes are both substantially perpendicular to the edge of the workpiece. In one embodiment, additional holes are also drilled perpendicular to the edge of the workpiece.
The adjustable holding devices or jigs of the present invention allow a user, for the first time, to drill pocket holes different distances apart, in materials of varying thicknesses and widths, without the need to adjust the holding device or the workpiece in between drilling. In one embodiment, the use of three separate and fixed guide channels with variable spacing allows three different two-hole combinations to be drilled quickly and accurately without the use of moving parts.